Advancing Building Decarbonization
The Advancing Building Decarbonization (ABD) project focuses on growing community capacity to implement building decarbonization in low-resourced communities.
Project Details:
Project Funders:
Climate change is changing everything, and communities with fewer resources often face the greatest impacts. At the same time, the transition to a cleaner economy creates opportunities to strengthen communities and expand access to healthier homes, lower energy costs, and new economic opportunities. Building decarbonization can help deliver these benefits while ensuring that communities and building owners have the resources and support needed to participate in the transition.
The Advancing Building Decarbonization (ABD) project focuses on building local capacity to implement building decarbonization in communities that have historically had limited access to these investments. The project convenes local leadership alliances in Oakland, CA; St. Louis, MO; and Philadelphia, PA to implement demonstration projects and develop practical, replicable approaches for helping building owners access decarbonization resources and opportunities.
Our Impact
Since 2023, ABD has served almost 50 organizations and 130 individuals, providing technical assistance on grant writing opportunities totaling $20M and hosting almost 50 hours of peer-to-peer networking and learning.
ABD By the Numbers
3 Cities
Pilot Projects
Philadelphia, PA; Oakland, CA; & St. Louis, MO
21 Partners
Leadership Alliance Members
Across all cities
50+ Hours
Virtual and In-person Learning
Includes webinars, convenings, and peer-to-peer networking sessions
55% Less Energy
Energy Savings in 2025
In buildings receiving updates
$1,400.00
Estimated Yearly Savings
In buildings receiving updates
30 Years Old
Age of oldest furnace replaced
Office building in St. Louis
“Recent natural disasters have had severe impacts on disinvested communities—which are disproportionately impacted by these events and often equipped with less resources to recover. The ABD project is one of many ways that ISC is working at the intersection of people and planet—supporting locally led organizations to reduce emissions, lower energy costs, and improve air quality in the communities most vulnerable to climate change and weather events.”
— Rebecca Kaduru, ISC President
Objectives
The places where we live, work, and play are key to addressing what our future with increased climate impacts look like. This means adapting our buildings to more extreme temperatures, poorer air quality, and most importantly, the thriving future that we would like to see.
Through this work, it is our goal to work with building owners to identify what the community’s key needs are as it relates to their building. From there, we work with the building owners to address the need through the lens of creating a climate solution as well.
For example, a community resilience hub may bring up that individuals who live around the building feel unsafe at night and that having brighter lights would help people feel safer. We can address this need and incorporate a strategy to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing LEDs and upgrading exterior lighting.
What We Do
Investing in Our Partners
in leadership alliances in Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; and St. Louis, MO
Connecting buildings to the climate crisis and people’s humanity and dignity
With a focus on
community education and training on reducing energy burdens and consumption